We are a quarter of the way through the year! I don't have too much to show this week, but at the risk of making most of you jealous, we have had a really lovely week weatherwise. It has been warm and sunny, and as long as we sat sheltered from any breeze, we were able to spend most of our days outside. The cats had the same idea. We uncovered our garden furniture last week. The cushions were a bit damp but most of them survived. The first day we had put them back on the chairs, we took our morning cuppa out to sit there, only to find Tolly and Tango had made the settee theirs. I don't think Tango moved all day!
We were also spurred on to visit a garden centre to pick up a few plants. We like to use this window of time to make the garden look colourful and pretty, before it gets too hot for most of the flowers. These are what we bought.
Two verbenas and two miniature carnations (pinks), went into the two small troughs that sit on Chris' office window ledge. The rest have filled the gaps in the mini back yard garden we made last year, that have appeared when we have pulled out annuals that have died off through the winter. It looks lovely again now. I do love the yellow and bronze osteospermens even though they fold up and go to sleep at night. Hopefully the bees will enjoy them all too.
I also spent some time in my carft room. I used the same technique as I used for Aisling's birthday card last week, but instead of using a photo of Leo, I used digi stamps from one of my favourite designers. I already had them in my library so I printed them out three times each and coloured them with alcohol ink markers. Then I scanned them into my computer, printed them again, masked them and added them to backing papers from my computer folder and ended up with a set of ten cards (one got printed four times instead of three). Details of how they were made are on my craft blog HERE.
Leo had his first big mishap this week; one broken table lamp. He didn't deliberately knock it down. He doesn't do that half as much as Tolly did as a kitten. But he has no spacial awareness and just runs wherever he wants to, with no idea whether or not a space is big enough for him. It wasn't! It is actually the second time he has knocked this lamp down so he didn't learn the first time. Then I was able to patchwork it together with super glue, enough to keep using it, but this time it was beyond repair.
As Chris and I have both reached a point where we need good strong lighting for anything we want to do in the evenings, we decided it had to be replaced, so on our way to the garden centre, we stopped off at a ferrateria, (literally an iron monger, that sells, kitchen ware, garden tools, electrical, DIY, paint etc. A bit like Wilkinson's in UK), and found this one. This time it has a metal stand instead of a ceramic one, so it stands a better chance of survival, I hope.
Yesterday we had to go to Almeria to sort out some admin papers at the 'foreigners office', and I persuaded Chris to leave home early so we could browse a couple of the shops in the mall where we park our car. I was disappointed that we were too early for them to have their summer dress stock in, but I did manage to buy two tee-shirts, and Chris found a nice pair of shorts and also some tee-shirts, so it wasn't a wasted visit. We have to return in six weeks to complete the admin work, so maybe by mid-May they will have some nice dresses to choose from.
Once again I have had a long video chat with Ben, and also with my sister Jean and that is always good. We chat for a couple of hours sometimes and have a really good catch up.
We get through quite a lot of eggs because Chris would eat them every day if I felt like cooking them. He loves them fried but I poach or scramble mine. So when I saw this, it did make me smile. I hope it makes you smile too.
Now it is time to link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and have a good catch up with you my lovely blog-land friends. If you are reading this, do feel free to join us.
7 comments:
Your flowers are beautiful Kate...we've noticed several bees enjoying our flowers already...I love this time of year. What a shame about your lamp but I must say I love the new one. The funny made me chuckle.
Hugs,
Annie x
Lucky you with the weather - that would make me smile, too! At least your flowers make me. And the relaxed furry friends :-)
Poor eggs, that :-)
Hugs
Hi Kate, great to see you doing some crafting. I like the sound of your weather. It's been showers and sun here for a few days but not as cold as it was thank goodness. Beautiful flowers you have. Take care and have a lovely weekend. Hugs, Angela x\xx
Those cards turned out great. You did a fabulous job and now have a few Christmas cards to send. Lucky you.
That lamp is GORGEOUS. Really very modern and stylish. Wouldn't fit in my Victorian/Craftsman home, but I really like that base a LOT.
Your flowers are beautiful. I bought flowers last year that are perennials and they have not come back. I sure think you got some real beauties.
Laughed at your egg humor. Sunny side up is how I like my eggs. I guess it's due to my British ancestry. Have a super rest of Friday and a great weekend.
I sure hope my comment doesn't take as long this week. Last week was VERY frustrating.
Oh I am envious of your warm weather - we have finally had some sunny days after a very wet summer, but then the nights are really chilly! True autumnal weather.
Loving your garden plants, and I can understand you wanting to get them in while they will last for a whole in the cooler temperatures.
Trust the cats to find a warm, sunny but sheltered spot... but oh, how sad for your lamp.. As you say, hopefully the new lamps will survive Leo's antics. My boy has been bringing rats - the corpse count is up to 7 - he brings them in at night, and I generally wake to him, and dispose of the offerings VERY quickly!
Hope you can find the dresses that you wish
Blessings
Maxine
Oh I am so envious on the weather front we have had wall to wall rain, that stuff that is fine you could hardly see that absolutely drenches you, in fact yesterday the boat at work couldn't go onto the river because the river level was too high and on red, they managed the first trip, but it was red by the second trip. Your plants look lovely, I must admit, I picked up some plants last weekend and got them out into the planters but haven't had chance to photograph since due to the rain. They have brightened things up but I'm still in spring colour territory, tete a tete daffodils and grape hyacinth's at the moment are making a lovely show interspersed with violas my favourite plant for the garden due to the happy smiling faces. Love the photo of your garden bench and giggled at the cats getting there before you, alas I haven't even considered getting our cushions out yet as it is far too wet. I'm glad your trip to the shops wasn't completely wasted if you managed to buy a couple of things, hopefully they will have summer dresses in when you go next. I am envious of your Christmas cards because despite me always doing mine in January, I just didn't 'feel it' this year, so the Christmas card box is devoid is I'm honest, even my Mum is more in front than me. I hope you have a beautiful and blessed weekend and that the sun is still shining.
Hugs
Your flowers are beautiful Kate. I will go to the garden centre soon (after Holy Week though) and get geraniums. I have lots of pots on the wall in my little patio/courtyard. Probably they sell them at the market too. When I do get them, I will have to install the irrigation system, which Graham always did. I'll have to figure it out. Never a dull moment.
Your cats made me smile, lazing on your garden furniture.
It's a shame about your lamp. (But at least you have a new one now.)
I bought a wall bracket because I'm afraid the tv, being so big, will get knocked off the cabinet. How are you going to prevent that with so many animals?
Have a lovely weekend,
Hugs,
Lisca
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